Toothbrush



June 8, 1943. v G, ULVlCK 2,321,265

TOOTHBRUSH Filed Oct. 7, 1940 Patented June 8, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT mm TOOT HBRUSH George Ulvick, Minneapolis, Minn.', assignor of forty-nine per cent to Howard L. Fischer, St.

Paul, Minn.

Application October 7, 1940, Serial No. 360,154'

2 Claims. (Cl. -136) This invention relates to a toothbrush and flexible container which forms a vial for a dentifrice, the vial-like container being the handle for the toothbrush and having a character and closure means whereby said container handle may be dispensed as a unit with the brush head portion of the toothbrush.

A feature resides in providing a small flask or vial-like handle of flexible material for the tooth- Figure 2 illustrates the units of the toothbrush put together, and the act of squeezing the side walls together to dispense dentifrice from-the and the vial handle for containing the dentifrice maybe held in a small package or container. Thus my toothbrush provides a convenience for travelers who desire to have the dentifrice in the handle of the toothbrush and wherein the handle and the brush head are units adapted to operate together when desired for use, or collapsed into a small state when not in use.

A further feature resides in providing a toothbrush with replaceable brush heads, whereas the handle portion being the container for the dentifrice, may be used for a considerable time. It is of primary importance that the handle portion of this toothbrush be made of flexible plastic material so that by squeezing the side walls of the same toward each other, the dentifrice is caused to be forced out with a pumping action toward the bristles of the toothbrush. The natural expansion of the plastic handle acts to expand the handle portion sufliciently to draw air into the same so that with repeated impulses against the side walls of the container, all of the dentifrice can be forced out to the bristles. This dispensing of the dentifrice a degree at a time, permits drops or small quantities of the dentifrice to be dispensed to the bristles when desired.

It is also a feature to provide a toothbrush wherein a series of handle vials may be contained in a package with the toothbrush head and thus provide dentifrice in a convenient handle vial which may be quickly attached to the brush head for use. The handle vial and the toothbrush head act as a unit, co-operating and working together to provide the complete toothbrush for operation.

The drawing illustrates in Figure 1 the units of the toothbrush, namely, the brush head and the vial-like handle.

vial handle to the bristles of the brush.

Figure 3 illustrates the cork of the vial handle which closes the vial when the units are collapsed as is illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 4 illustrates the vial handle-with a different shaped bottom portion from that illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line 55 of Figure 4.

The unitary toothbrush consists of the brush head A and the vial-like flexible handle B. The handle B is provided with a stopper or cork C.

The handle B and the cork C are made of plastic material and are of a nature wherein the wall portions of the handle are sumciently thin to permit: the walls to be flexed readily.

The handle Bis hollow to form a chamber In within the same which is adapted to hold a supply of liquid or emulsified dentifrice. The handle is formed with a flat bottom portion ll so that the vial handle B may be readily stood on end.

The brush-head A is formed with the regular bristles l2 and is provided with a reduced shank which fits into the opening M in the handle B when the stopper C is removed so as to attach the brush head A to the vial-like handle B. A small passageway I5 is formed extending through the shank of the handle A and extends out at the point I6 adjacent the row of bristles l2.

When the toothbrush is desired for use and the portions A and B are put together after the stopper C has been removed, then by holding the brush in the position illustrated in Figure 2 and squeezing with the fingers against the side walls of the handle portion B, the dentifrice in the handle is caused to be pumped out through the. opening l5 to the bristles I! of the .brush head A. The squeezing operation of the side walls of the vial handle B can be repeated the desired number of times to force the proper amount of dentifrice onto the bristles l2. This brush forms a convenient way of supporting the dentifrice right in the handle, and owing to the flexible nature of the handle portion B, the walls of the -same may be operated to force the liquid to the cross sectional thereof is more or less rectangular as illustrated in Figure 5, so as to provide comparatively wide side walls I! and narrower longitudinally extending edge walls 18. The walls l8 form the rigidity for the handle B so that when it is grasped in the hand'the side wall I! will not be operated. Thus it is possible to grip the handle B firmly in the hand while brushin the teetii where the gripping pressure is directed to the edge walls It and no action is brought to bear on the handle B to cause any of the dentifrice to be discharged therefrom.

The flat bottom portion ll of the vials B permit the handle to be stood on end either when separated from the brush head portion A or when the toothbrush is put together, and this provides a convenient means of using the toothbrush where the brush head may be held pro- Jecting upwardly rather than being laid down when the brush is not in use.

This toothbrush is not only convenient for traveling, but also is desirable because in one lmit, one or more of the handle vials B may be provided, making it convenient for the operator to use the dentifrice from the handles without being necessary to refill the handles if it is not desired. Furthermore,- one or more brush heads A may be provided as a unitary package along with a number of vial handles B, and thus the advantage of selecting diflerent brush heads is available to the user rather than having just one toothbrush. The brush heads and handles may be made in various colors of plastic to make them more easily distinguished one from the other.

Figure 6 is a side view of another design of my handle vial B, showing an oval-shaped finger depressing surface 20.

Figure '7 is a cross-section on the line of Figure 6.

Dentists have recommended that the brush heads be allowed to dry thoroughly between uses, and by this unit toothbrush construction, the user may have more than one brush head if he so desires, as well as a number of vial handles.

It is of primary importance that this toothbrush is of a unitary nature, each unit consisting of a brush head and a vial-like flexible handle which contains and supports a supply of dentifrice.

While the formation and design of this toothbrush may be varied without departing from the invention proper, the principles of the invention are within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a toothbrush comprising a bristle portion having a series of bristles projecting therefrom, a hollow shank formed on said bristle portion and providing an outlet duct into said bristles, a shoulder adjacent the inner end of said shank, a plastic vial-like handle portion for holding dentifrice and having a reinforced inner end for engaging said shank against said shoulder, wide longitudinally extending substantially flat thin side walls formed in said handle, narrow rigid longitudinally extending edge walls connecting with said side walls forming the body of said handle, and a transversely extending rear 'end wall integrally connected with said side and edge walls and adapted to form a bottom end for said handle to rest on to permit the dentifrice in said hollow shank to drain back into said handle.

2. A fountain toothbrush comprising a brush head .with a bristle portion and a reduced porfeeding the dentifrice to said bristle portion when said wall portion is pressed by the hand of the user, said handle having a flat bottom and a thickened apertured integral neck portion frictionally receiving said shank with said shoulder acting as a stop.

- GEORGE 'ULVICK. 

